Christian Life

Fellowship

Outreach

Youth Groups

Welcoming Activities

Coffee hospitality and greeters are provided each Sunday. Receptions are held and pictures and write-ups on new members are posted in the narthex and placed in the Herald. “Welcome to Emmanuel” fliers are regularly updated and placed upstairs and downstairs so that those attending activities in our church might feel welcomed to attend our services also. Baby baskets are presented to the families of each new baby welcoming them into the congregation. Pastor Hybl conducts a New Member Information Class which include several sessions to inform those joining of the Lutheran teachings as well as the opportunities for participation at Emmanuel, and he also does a pastoral contact as families express interest in becoming members of Emmanuel. A group has been established to be especially on the lookout for visitors to be sure they are greeted and welcomed.

Engaging/Connecting Activities

New members are invited to Sunday School and Adult Bible Class, and sponsors are provided to help them become involved in Emmanuel. The committee initiated the weekly e-newsletter to keep members informed and connected. The Congregation email system, phonevite system, and the email and phone prayer chain systems were established through the committee and remain in place. A Wednesday night small group Bible Study has been started through this committee. The committee made internet available for meetings and for individual use throughout the church. Name Tags were made and regularly updated. They are available on designated Sundays to help members learn each other’s names. The committee encourages regular updates to the website enabling members to access lots of Emmanuel information such as a church calendar, the weekly announcements, and information about upcoming Emmanuel events and youth events. Pictures are taken regularly on Sunday mornings and emailed to the secretary for inclusion in the e-newsletter and for the TV in the narthex. We continue to encourage the use of the hearing devices that have been put in place for members and visitors who are hearing impaired. The committee put together prayer groups which meet the second Wednesday of the month in the morning and the evening. We welcome new members to the committee.

Fellowship Activities and Events

We plan activities at the church, in the local area, and even overnight events. Some of the activities that Fellowship has provided at the church are Game Night after Saturday Vesper service, Movie Matinee after Sunday worship service, Corn Roast and Potluck Picnic after Sunday worship service, and Continental Breakfast after Sunday outdoor service. Activities in the area have included Miniature Golf at Kistler’s, Family Scavenger Hunt, Just Ducky Tour at Station Square, Mystery Dinner Theater at the Lamplighter, and Bike Hike and Cook-out at Cedar Creek. Our overnight activities included trips to the Sight and Sound Theater in Lancaster, Pa, and Noah’s Ark and the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Originally initiated through our Dinners for Eight, the group organizes the Congregational Christmas Party. We also organize the Lenten Light Meals, Shrove Tuesday Potluck, and the Easter Breakfast. If you have any ideas for future events please let our committee know. Keep in mind that most of our events are pay as you go events or get-togethers where we ask participants to bring something to share. But we do have some events like a cookout after Bike Hikes where we provide hotdogs, buns, and condiments, or the bus for Christmas Caroling that are paid for out of our budget.

Involving Inactives

The committee also sponsors a visiting group with volunteers who visit shut-ins and those who could benefit from a personal contact. Several members have been trained to do in-home communion for shut-ins and are available to be called on by Pastor to serve between his visits.

Publicity

In the area of publicity, we continue to try to get as many pictures and articles as possible in the local papers regarding Emmanuel events. Updates to the Emmanuel website www.ourlutheranchurch.org are submitted and encouraged. Emmanuel yearly theme banners and the street-side community banners are placed regularly. The committee plans and/or supports various events being held at Emmanuel designed to bring people into the church. Plans are being made to have an Emmanuel table at Murrysville’s “Night of Lights” held in the Town Square in December 2017.

W-DOGS: “We Depend On God’s Spirit”

W-DOGS is a youth group for children in Grades K-5th that meets once a month during the school year. Meeting Themes include Back to School Blast, Halloween Corn Maze, Thanksgiving Theme, Ugly Christmas Sweater Theme, Bowling, Valentine Theme, St. Patrick’s Theme, Easter Theme, and End of Year Picnic. Please see the calendar for more information and scheduling. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our W-DOGS leader, Amy Foust, at afoust24@comcast.net or 412-445-3626. Each spring, usually in March or April, the W-DOGS serve the OWL’s at a dinner or lunch event that is much appreciated by our Older, Wiser, Lutherans.

Junior/Senior Youth Group

Young people and their friends in Grades 6 through 12 meet twice monthly during the school year. They participate in fun activities and do projects to help our church and community. In the past year, activities have included Gearhard Farm Corn Maze, GROK, and an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Recent year projects have included helping at Pastor Hybl’s installation, making desserts and cards for the homebound, charity collection on Super Bowl Sunday, and helping with Christmas Crafts. The Youth Group has meetings once a month in the summer for teaching activities and church projects. In 2016 they met for a “homeless simulation” meeting, and they helped with projects needed for the remodeled youth meeting room. In 2017 they met for an activity, and helped with Vacation Bible School. If you have any questions or recommendations for the youth program, please contact our Youth Group Leader, Dan Plance, at plance92@gmail.com or 412-965-8904.

Dinners for 8ish

The purpose of Dinner for 8ish is adult fellowship and getting to know each other better. It is open to adult couples and singles. These get-togethers occur four times a year: January/February, March/April, May/June and September/October. Each group has a coordinator who calls the people on their list of around 8 people. They provide a couple of dates then come up with a date that most or all can meet. They also decide the venue. It can be a dinner at their home where they provide the entrée and ask the rest of the group to bring a side dish, dessert, salad, or appetizer. It can be making reservations for a meal together at a local restaurant. Instead of dinner, you can do a brunch on Sunday afternoon, or have an appetizer party, a wine tasting party or do all desserts. You can even order pizza. There are no rules except that you must have a good time. Each list, which consists of about 8 people, rotates so you will probably only co-ordinate about once a year.